Boston College 20, Georgia 16

Sunday, December 30, 2001

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - William Green carried 35 times for 149 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Boston College a 20-16 victory over No. 16 Georgia in the Music City Bowl. Quarterback Brian St. Pierre completed 9-of-25 passes for 109 yards with a touchdown for the Eagles (8-4), who beat a ranked opponent for the first time in 22 games.

Dedrick Dewalt caught three passes for 62 yards and a score for Boston College, which was appearing in its third bowl game in as many years for the just the third time in school history.Verron Haynes rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown for Georgia (8-4), which had won three straight to finish the regular season.

Fred Gibson caught six balls for 109 yards and a score in the losing effort, while Georgia quarterback David Greene threw for 288 yards on 22-of-38 passing with one touchdown and a pair of interceptions.Trailing 16-13, Green rushed for a first down on 4th-and-1 from the Georgia 34 and St. Pierre completed a pass to Dewalt to the 10 on the next play to set up the go-ahead score.

Two plays later, Green scored from the seven, dragging Bulldogs' cornerback Jermaine Phillips into the end zone for a 20-16 lead with 4:43 to play in the fourth quarter. On the second play of the drive, St. Pierre completed a pass over the middle to Sean Ryan near midfield for his first completion in 10 attempts.

Georgia chose to punt from near midfield on its ensuing possession with 1:24 left on the clock. Boston College took over and ran the clock down to 25 seconds before punting the ball back to Georgia.

The Bulldogs took over at their own 47 with 14 seconds remaining, but after an incompletion, Greene was sacked as time expired.

Boston College took advantage of three first-half turnovers by the Bulldogs to take a 13-10 lead into the break after falling behind early. Eagles linebacker Josh Ott recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass to set up a two scores in the opening half.

Green, who was battling the flu, had 18 rushes for 126 yards in the opening half.

The Bulldogs needed just 55 seconds to open the scoring. Gibson took the opening kickoff at the goal line and handed it to Decory Bryant on a reverse at the 12. Bryant raced down the left sideline 74 yards to the Boston College 14. Two plays later, Gibson caught a screen pass from Greene at the 18 and went down the right sideline, dragging a defender into the end zone to give Georgia a quick 7-0 lead.

Georgia's second possession of the game resulted in a fumble by Haynes, which was recovered by Ott at the Boston College 15. The Eagles moved 73 yards on 19 plays and Sandro Sciortino booted a 25-yard field goal with 1:43 left in the first quarter to cut the Boston College deficit to 7-3.

Georgia moved to the Eagles' 13 on the ensuing possession, but Ott intercepted a ball batted into the air at the line of scrimmage by Tom Martin to thwart the scoring opportunity and Boston College took over at its own 15.

The Eagles took advantage of the turnover, moving 85 yards on just five plays. Green exploded for a 75-yard run on the second play of the drive to give the Eagles a first down at the Georgia 10. St. Pierre capped the drive with a 10- yard strike to Dewalt to give the Eagles a 10-7 lead with 9:09 to play in the first half.

Greene was intercepted again in the second quarter and the Eagles took advantage to take a six-point lead. Scott Bradley stepped in front of a pass intended for receiver Randy McMichael at the Eagles' 31 and returned the pick 17 yards to the 48. On 3rd-and-11 from the Georgia 26, Brandon Williams was called for a defensive pass interference penalty to give the Eagles a first down at the Bulldogs' 11. The drive stalled at the nine and Sciortino booted a 26-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 13-7 advantage with 3:05 to play in the first half.

Georgia moved 64 yards on 10 plays on the ensuing possession and Billy Bennett booted a 24-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the Bulldogs deficit to 13-10 at halftime. Gibson had a reception from Greene for 38 yards to the Eagles' 20 to set up the score.

Georgia scored the only points in the third quarter with a 12-play, 69-yard drive to take the lead. On the first play of the drive from their own 31, Greene completed a pass to Gibson for 23 yards. Greene and Gibson hooked up for an 18-yard gain on 3rd-and-15 to give the Bulldogs a first down at the BC 33. From there, Haynes rushed five times for 14 yards and capped the drive with a one-yard plunge to give the Bulldogs a 16-13 advantage with 5:26 left in the third quarter. Bennett's extra-point try was wide after a false start penalty moved the ball back five yards on the attempt.